FontanaArte - Coffee table with wheels 150x50

An industrial trolley used in the headquarters of fontanaarte for the transport of glass: this is the object that inspired Gae Aulenti in the design of Table with Wheels, example of an intuitive design born from the association with everyday tools and translated into prototype without going through the drawing. In the Table with Wheels project, the wooden top of the industrial trolley is replaced with a thick cut glass sheet -symbol of the company’s production history - to which the free-movement industrial wheels are fixed. This is how replacing a simple element transforms the nature of the object and its intended use. 

Gae Aulenti

Gae Aulenti was born in 1927 in Palazzolo dello Stella in the province of Udine, Italy. She graduated in 1953 at the Politecnico di Milano and since then she has worked in the fields of architectural design, urban planning, interior and industrial design, theatrical scenography. Already in his early years his projects express the desire to link together the many aspects of the architectural discipline. Numerous industrial design products were created to complete architectural projects.  Among the most famous are the "Pipistrello" and "King Sun" lamps for the Olivetti Showrooms in Paris and Buenos Aires (1966-67) and, with Piero Castiglioni, the "Bugia" lamp for the Musée d'Orsay (Paris, 1986) and the "Cestello" lamp for Palazzo Grassi (Venice, 1986). Among his most famous works were the realization in Paris of the Museé d'Orsay (1986) and the setting up of the Musée National d'Art Moderne at the Centre Pompidou (1985); the renovation of Palazzo Grassi in Venice (1986); the new access to the S. Maria Novella station in Florence (1990); the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco (2003), the Catalan Art Museum in Barcelona (2004), the Italian Cultural Institute in Tokyo and the Palavela in Turin, both inaugurated in 2005.  In 2012 the works of Palazzo Branciforte in Palermo and the new San Francesco d'Assisi Airport in Perugia were completed. Among the most important recognitions and awards: Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur (Paris, 1987); Honourary Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (1990); Praemium Imperiale per l'Architettura dal The Japan Art Association (Tokyo, 1991); Cavaliere di Gran Croce (Rome, 1995); honorary degree from the Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, USA, 2001); Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement (Milan, 2012).

FontanaArte

Fontana Arte specializes in glass processing and the manufacture of furnishing accessories. Founded in 1881 in Milan by Luigi Fontana, it began as an industry producing glass sheets for building purposes. It had Giò Ponti, Pietro Chiesa and Max Ingrand as artistic directors. It gained notoriety especially for its processing of curved crystal and production of lighting applies.
Lighting is also design; numerous brands make it possible to combine functionality with aesthetics, making lamps, wall sconces, and spotlights true pieces of furniture. Among them is FontanArte, which has marked the history of lighting design.
In over than 80 years of activity, the brand has received numerous awards, including the Compasso d'oro Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, given by the ADI - Association for Industrial Design: "thanks to the collaboration with different designers, has been able to create a lively creative climate that has upgraded one of the historical names of Italian design."